Challenges
by Coral in the moon
Summary: My entries/non-entries for the LJ DMHG challenge. Ranges from angst to humour. Won a couple of awards. Excellent writing exercise; check out the community and come and play with the rest of us.
1. February 2011: Veritaserum

**A/N:** I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Only participated in February and August of this year, but I've written some which I didn't enter because I wrote them too late. Figured I might as well post them up here now. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**February 2011: Veritaserum.** Grey Truth was the one I actually entered, and it won third place.

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><p><span>Grey Truth<span>

He looked down into his glass, then up at her, eyes blazing cold as steel.

"You did, didn't you?"

"Answer me, Malfoy," she said tightly.

"You do know that it's not always reliable? That certain people can resist its influence – particularly those gifted at lying?"

He saw her eyes flicker.

"So you did know. Too desperate not to try? Or-"

"_Answer me_."

"You want an answer?" He laughed. "Yes. I love you."

Then he threw his remaining wine in her face.

"Now spend the rest of your life working out if that was the truth, Granger." He sneered and left.

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><p><span>Because Magic Isn't Magical<span>

"Please, Granger. I'm begging you. Hermione, please."

A tiny shock ran through her as he said her name for the first time.

"No," she said.

"What will it take for you to believe me?" He sounded desperate. "I'll drink Veritaserum. You'll know whatever I say is true."

"Magic isn't the solution to everything." She took a step back. "Why don't you _Obliviate_ me then? Or I'll _Imperio_ you and it'll definitely never happen again?"

"Don't give up," he whispered. "Don't give up on me."

"I'm going," she said. "I've had enough."

His outstretched hand dropped to his side. She left.

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><p><span>Stripped<span>

Draco knew what was coming when the door burst open and Potter slammed into the kitchen, Weasley and Granger behind.

"Drink," said Potter. A cup thudded down on the table.

He _loathed_ this. See, when lies had saved your life countless times, you felt so naked without them.

"Harry, maybe-"

"Tonks is _dead_, Hermione!" Potter exploded. "Somebody betrayed us!"

"I don't need your pity, Granger," said Draco.

But he did; he wished so badly that she would stop it, just stop it, please, Granger…

"I don't need anyone's pity," he said again, one last lie before he drained the cup.

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><p><strong>I couldn't help but expand <em>Stripped<em>, so here you go.**

Draco knew what was coming when the door burst open and Potter slammed into the kitchen, Weasley and Granger following.

"Drink," said Potter. A cup thudded down on the table.

"Harry-"

"Not now, Hermione. Drink, Malfoy."

He hated this. He absolutely loathed this. Not the patent distrust, he was used to that, but…

…see, when lies had saved your life again and again, you felt so naked without their cold protection. And when they had become the only defence you had, living with the good guys amongst whom you didn't belong – vulnerable didn't even begin to cover it.

"Harry, maybe-"

"Tonks is _dead_, Hermione." Potter's voice rose. "Didn't you see it? Or didn't you care?"

"You're off your rocker to be saying things like that," snapped Weasley, pale and drawn.

Potter shook off his restraining arm. "Tonks is dead. She's dead, _dead_! I killed her. I killed her. My dad's best friend's wife, and I killed her. I killed my godson's mother – " His voice cracked and he turned away, pounding an impotent fist into the unyielding wall.

Hours and hours, he knew it would be, the three of them and the one of him crowded into the tiny, dingy kitchen, hours and hours of questions after questions, what did he hear, what did he say, what did he know, did he communicate in any way with someone outside the house, what were his feelings towards the Order, towards Tonks, how did he feel about his mother's death, did it make him more pro-Order or pro-Voldemort? On and on till he was exhausted and drained, every bit of his deepest feelings laid bare for them to poke around in, and no lies to hide in, no lies to help him draw a protective veil over the wounds not yet healed…no _choice_…

"Technically, you didn't kill her," observed Draco dispassionately. "You got her killed."

Granger was wiping away her tears, but Potter and Weasley whipped around to pin him with identical glares.

"Which brings us to the point, then," said Potter, ice-cold. "Someone betrayed us. Someone who knew practically every aspect of our plan."

Draco met his gaze coolly. "I wonder who you suspect, Potter."

Potter's lip curled. "Drink up, Malfoy."

"Harry, it can't have been him."

"Then who do you want me to suspect, Hermione? You?" shouted Potter. "Or should I suspect Lupin? Kingsley? Or Ron, or Ginny? Tell me, who do you want me to suspect? How about myself? Maybe I've been talking to Voldemort in my sleep, maybe he's been possessing me without my knowledge, maybe I ought to off myself as soon as possible so I won't ever have to try to look Lupin in the eye again and I won't have to keep going on, on and on with the fear and the pain and the burden of all the hopes riding on me, making decisions that _get people killed!_"

"I don't need your pity, Granger," said Draco, watching more tears run down her face, watching Weasley wrap her in his arms.

But he did, he did, he wished so badly that she would stop it, just stop it, please, Granger…

"I don't need anyone's pity," he said again, one last lie before he drained the cup.

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><p><strong>As you can tell, I found the prompt irresistable :)<strong>


	2. March 2011: Murder

**A/N:** I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Only participated in February and August of this year, but I've written some which I didn't enter because I wrote them too late. Figured I might as well post them up here now. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**March 2011: Murder.** Didn't enter that month.

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><p><span>Walk The Line<span>

"Don't blame me, Malfoy," she said. "You deserve this."

He laughed at her despite the sharp fear in his eyes. "It's not so easy, Granger. A few words, and you think you'll never remember this for the rest of your life?"

"This isn't revenge," she said loudly, wishing she had done it immediately.

"No?" He wiped blood from his lips. "Sorry, I forgot that your side likes to call it justice."

"It makes the world safer."

"Justice doesn't exist," he said softly. "This is murder and you know it."

She knew, but it had to be done – and she was there.

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><p><strong>Looks funny without an AN at the bottom, so I'll babble a little :P There. Babbled.**


	3. June 2011: Father

**A/N:** I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Only participated in February and August of this year, but I've written some which I didn't enter because I wrote them too late. Figured I might as well post them up here now. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**June 2011: Father.** Didn't enter that month. Didn't make up a title either.

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><p><span>Father<span>

"Come with me."

She was so beautiful.

"I know you. This isn't what you want or who you are. Draco, come away with me."

His gaze fell before the plea in her eyes. He knew what she was saying.

_Let me save you. Don't make me watch you die._

_Don't make me kill you._

"Granger – "

"I love you," she said, strong and clear despite her tears.

The first time either of them spoke the L word and it had to be in the middle of a war.

"Draco."

"I know," he said, "but I'll never desert him."

He walked away.

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><p><strong>Ooh la la so emo. I bore myself. Next one's fluffier.<strong>


	4. August 2011: Fireflies

**A/N: **I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Only participated in February and August of this year, but I've written some which I didn't enter because I wrote them too late. Figured I might as well post them up here now. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**August 2011: Fireflies. **This is my favourite. It placed first, so I don't stand alone in that opinion :P Longest title I ever had.

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><p><span>He'll Never Be a Star, But He Can Be a Firefly<span>

Storming to her window, Hermione yelled, "Get off my property!"

Undaunted, the dimly lit figure below twanged his guitar experimentally.

"_You be the fire and I'll be the fly,  
><em>_Together we'll be the brightest  
><em>_Things in the sky_…"

Ginny covered her head, whimpering, "Merlin's saggy left – "

"Get out!"

"_Tell me why, Hermione,  
><em>_Your name only rhymes with _money_?  
><em>_Wait, I forgot there's _honey_,  
><em>_And also there is _bunny…"

"OUT, Malfoy!" She slammed the window shut, then uncharacteristically dissolved into explosive giggles.

"Marry him, Hermione," begged Ginny. "If you ever loved me, marry him."

Below, Draco grinned. He'd get her yet.

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><p><strong>Almost used this for the title instead: Stars are Celebrities, but Fireflies are Small and Annoying.<strong>


	5. September 2011: Weather the storm

**A/N:** I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Only participated in February and August of this year, but I've written some which I didn't enter because I wrote them too late. Figured I might as well post them up here now. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**September 2011: Weather the storm.**

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><p><span>Draco Domiens Nunquam Titillandus<span>

Towelling his hair, Draco emerged from the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wake up, Mama! Up!" screamed his son, dancing around his sleeping wife and sprinkling water. "It raining, it pouring, old mama snoring!"

Draco dropped the towel and dashed for Scorpius, yanking him out of the way just in time for Hermione to deluge him with water straight to the face without waking or opening her eyes. Coughing, Draco whisked them both into a closet as the water kept spreading.

"I told you, never wake Mama up!"

Scorpius giggled. "Dada all wet. Me all dry!"

Draco sighed.

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><p><strong>Title's Hogwart's motto btw.<strong>


	6. April 2012: Practical joke

**A/N:** I've been following the dmhgchallenge on LiveJournal for a while now (dmhgchallenge dot livejournal dot com). A prompt is put up once a month and there's a strict 100-word exactly limit. Occasionally I prepare more than one entry.

**April 2012: Practical joke. **Quite frankly, I was unhappy about this. I first wrote _She Did Warn Him_, then came up with _Or Maybe Not_. I asked to swap it at the last minute; then thanks Microsoft Word apparently I had 99 words instead of 100. I didn't see the mod's note telling me that my word count was wrong until too late, so she used _She Did Warn Him_ instead. It's certainly not her fault, but meh :/

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><p><span>She Did Warn Him<span>

"Hello, love," said Draco, straight-faced, as Hermione sat down to the dinner he had prepared.

Her eyebrow rose. "This dinner is for our anniversary, not April Fools', right?"

"Of course," he said, sounding injured.

"We've talked about how immature pranks are."

"Terribly juvenile."

"Good."

Absent-mindedly sipping from his glass, Draco watched as she began to cut her steak. The next second, his dinner burst into fireworks, singeing his eyebrows as he fell off his chair with a yell.

Hermione's smile was positively Slytherin as he choked on his Firewhisky.

"Switching Charm, love," was all she said. "I did warn you."

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><p><span>Or Maybe Not<span>

"This is your fault," said Draco bitterly.

"It's a stupid day," retorted Ron.

"You're stupid people."

"Shut up," said Harry.

"I trusted you," said Draco even more bitterly.

"You can't tell us you're proposing to Hermione on _April Fools'_ and not expect anything," said Ron.

"I did _not_ expect you two to jump out screaming, 'April Fool!' right after she accepted!" snapped Draco. "And she didn't believe me when I said I was serious!"

"At least she kept the ring," said Harry.

"And our wands," said Ron gloomily.

They dangled helplessly midair.

"Think she'll let us down tomorrow?" asked Ron.


End file.
